40-38

Probably the passing of the last person who saw Swindon win anything

It just totally disintegrated, I've never seen that happen before. I'll be damned expensive for him.

I suppose as with most things you don't assume it'll happen until it does, especially if you've done it that way from the start.

Just been on the local news. Hemsley looked pretty shook up by it I reckon whoever it is has been watching him for weeks if not months.

I agree. You're not likely to attract the casual fan back for that. In fact I'm not even sure I'm that bothered if they're charging me £15 on top of what I've already paid for my cloakroom ticket. Plus the crafty sods running it over 16 heats means a new programme will be needed and you can bet your bottom dollar they won't throw it in gratis.

That's finally answered the point I've made on a few occasions about whether anyone else was willing to stage it then

Myself and a friend were anticipating his "methanol fans let's go racing!" and we got it off to a fine art So much so we started coming up with new ones, "methanol fans let's go baking" etc. I said at the time it was just dead during the interval and he should have been out there talking to people, to the crowd, it's no good to bog off inside and leave everybody getting soaked wondering what the hell was going on! I did enjoy the slight sing along to Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life though I think the track held up well considering the torrents that fell on it before it started.

Well all those that wished for it to fail got their wish in the end then Yes the racing is crap, we know that thanks. Some of you have been telling us every time you've been like you're expecting a miracle from something you've said is the wrong size/shape umpteen times before. There's little we can do about it mid august. Typically given that its been bone dry on most occasions it has to turn into a quagmire on the biggest event we've held so far. I can only assume they have no money left to do anything else now either or they would have done surely.

Slightly off topic query to all those who talk about the track not being conductive to passing. Being only fairly young I'm wondering if the track would suit the old upright bikes and more throttle control riding as opposed to the way laydown bikes seem to ride ovals in a diamond type shape? Perhaps someone who knows could give me an idea whether it really was that much different.

I went to Peterborough once for the Fours, it was a dustbowl and apart from one or two races it was 32 strung out heats, the car park was basically just a field and I seem to remember that barring the grandstand there wasn't much else in the way of facilities either.

If I remember rightly they were selling advanced tickets on Tuesday 10-4 via the phone and stadium and also from 2-8pm yesterday the same, otherwise it's on the gate.

I think given that early afternoon meetings traditionally see lots of track problems if it's hot and dry it's a fairly sensible time. I went to the Fours at Peterborough in '07 and spent most of the afternoon getting dusted with more shale than the riders. Same with Steve Johnston's testimonial at Coventry as well, that was horrendously dusty and started in the early afternoon.

Start time is 5pm. I still ask the question of whether we got it because no other team could/were willing to fit it in. Given that the neutral venue that traditionally held it nearly didn't start the season as well. Also no speedway venue is truly neutral anyway. Many riders double up at Elite and National tracks and if anything Leicester is probably as neutral as it gets considering most teams have only visited once! I happen to agree that it makes things look amateurish as usual but then I think that as long as somebody has ridden for and has their registration or whatever held by the team in question they should be allowed to ride anyway. Semi -finals would be better but how many tracks would willingly stage or take part in it?

Is that official? And I mean from either the BSPA or Leicester Speedway Ltd. Not just so and so who knows so and so.

There's no need at all to fling childish names at posters cos you don't like the shambles of the BSPA decision making. I knew this would happen but it's no good picking on Leicester fans, we've not made the decision. I think the vast majority of Leicester fans would have no objection whatsoever to all of the teams having their best riders regardless of how many meetings they've ridden.

Well from what I saw I think Crump probably should have been the one excluded in the Jonsson incident as it seemed to me at least that he turned back in on Andreas more than Crump being taken out. As far as the Harris one goes I did think he made some contact with Hans but you expect that in the first corner and being the semi-final surely all four back would have been best? Same with the Pederson one really, all three back would have made more sense. I did feel that both Anderson and Pederson seemed to go down easily though, looking at replays you almost feel sometimes as if they're looking for it when they aren't in front. As for the amateur boxing I think like most people Emil needs to grow up a little bit, there was nothing in that ride from Nicholls which wasn't a cracking display of how to ride speedway, in fact he seemed bar one race to be off the boil totally tonight. Even so perhaps Scotty shouldn't have retaliated and let Emil get all the flak, but it did liven things up a bit, I was more disappointed that they turned the live footage off the screens in the stadium!

I'd be inclined to agree with this team actually. Also I don't think Nicholls should be captain. In fact i don't think there should be a set captain, perhaps if we have a team of captains for once we might actually get somewhere.

According to today's Speedway Star it's a Queen tribute act!

September? Giving people plenty of time to sort their finances out then. Evidently nobody has anything else planned until next year then

I'm 23 and I have no issue with Max Bygraves or Danny Kaye and I knew the words to Wonderful Copenhagen too. In fact if the songs had all been old I'd have been even happier with it. If somebody wouldn't set foot inside a speedway stadium 'cos of the music then they can't be that interested anyway so what's the point?

I think the music was pretty good. I haven't been to Cardiff before yesterday to base it on anything else but I like the signature tunes for certain riders and the music in between was a hell of a variety, and most were the sort of songs that get people singing which certainly added to the atmosphere. The criticism that people are levelling about the music still being on in the first turn sometimes was more down to the fact the riders kept messing about and turning round, and I have no experience of presenting music but you tend to want to fade music out at an appropriate point rather than just turn it off dead. It's just a shame the sound system itself was a bit poor and because it was so loud it came across a bit tinny but that's the stadium to blame there. Oh, and the Ivor Biggun song I didn't actually hear but I also didn't hear any disapproving gasps from around me so I think the fourth bend seemed ok with it.

It certainly wasn't capacity. The price of the tickets is responsible for that. I appreciate it costs to put it on but if they were a bit cheaper you'd probably more or less fill it up. Also needs advertising better. Billboards in cities up and down the country. It's the neutral sports fans we need to get in, the type that will go to Rugby and Football and Cricket finals.

How on earth Bjarne was excluded in that semi as well is beyond me even now. I've read pages and pages about how crap the track was, how crap the ref was etc. but from a first timer point of view I enjoyed it, the cheering, the booing, the faltering mexican waves and the atmosphere was electric. I've never been to a football match with that sort of intensity. I was also impressed with the way Harris, Nicholls and Kennett went, I was worrying all week they were going to be awful but they upped their game well and Eddie looked better as time went on. One thing I must know is...what Cardiff karaoke bar did they find that singer guy in? Sure he could sing but Born To Be Wild?! LOL.

I'd have said 40,000ish was about right. I can still hear the air horns going off now

Was a tad dusty there, I've turned about two towels into shale colour already Was a good day out though. If only Nicholls could do that next week in Cardiff we'll be alright. For a mere speedway novice really it was great to see Peter Collins riding as well, and I loved the bike, it looked and sounded so different, it looked as if it handled differently and the smell of methanol from it was brilliant. Anybody have a time machine? I really am beginning to think I missed out on the past... P.S. Any chance of a track hiring that Aussie commentator guy? It doesn't half add a zing to the presentation!